I CANNOT SLEEP
(Malvina Reynolds)

I cannot sleep for thinking of the children,
Who cannot sleep, gone supperless to bed.
I cannot sleep for thinking of the young ones,
Who roam the roads, no place to lay their heads.

If there were one, it would be cause to wonder,
If there were one, it would be cause to weep.
But they are numbered in too many thousands,
And for each one, I cannot sleep.

The stores are full, the bins are overflowing,
In sight of food, the hungry children wait.
And on the roads the young begin to wander,
Because at home, there's nothing on their plate.

If there were one...

We will not sleep, my sisters from the mill line,
We will not sleep, my brothers from the plow,
Until we've stored the wealth we have created
Within the lives of those who hunger now.

If there were one...
....
Til there are none, we will not sleep.

Sung by Rosalie Sorrels on her CD No Closing Chord.

Cheers, S. in Seattle